This invention relates to devices for live-capturing small animals and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to a two door live-capture animal trap and cage device which utilizes physical features in construction for gaining the confidence of a small animal in the trap device as the animal investigates the device and prior to its capture. It also relates to such a trap and cage device which maintains the animal, once trapped and caged within the device, in a safe and humane manner until the animal can be relocated to a new habitat. It also relates to a device that allows for the safe transfer of the trapped animal from the device to a secondary holding device, which secondary holding device can safely hold a number of animals at one time within individual compartments thereby preventing the animals from accessing and harming one another until released.
Animal traps have been used by mankind for thousands of years. Early on, a trap could be a device as simple as a hole in the ground or a carefully set snare which was set along the well-traveled trail of some woodland creature. Indeed, the major incentive for such trapping was survival and sustenance in the forms of food and clothing for the early trapper. The key to the success of such early devices oftentimes was the ability of the trapper to adequately conceal the traps from the unwary animal which was intended to be trapped. Placing small, loose branches over the hole would work as would placing blades of grass around the snare, each working to conceal the trap from the animal.
Although the incentives of hunger and lack of clothing have, for the most part, been eliminated in the modem world, mankind still needs to capture small animals from time to time. The incentive now is more a nuisance avoidance mechanism than any other. Accordingly, the need for traps still exists in this modem age. Consistent with the notions of animal rights and preservation, however, anyone seeking to capture small animals these days is acutely aware of the need to capture them live and then to release them, unharmed, to a new habitat where they can be of little or no nuisance in their new location.
In the experience of this inventor, small animal traps of the modem variety tend to assume the form of a single entrance trap or even a two door trap which presents itself in a very ominous way from the animal""s point of view. That is, most small animals are smart or experienced enough to know that entry into an opening from which no other apparent exit exists is probably not a good idea. Similarly, a trapping device or contraption which has too many metal parts and all the outward appearances of a cage is probably not one that an animal will care to pass through either. In this inventor""s experience, the true success of the modern trap continues to lie in the trapper""s ability to conceal the truly perilous nature and danger of the device. It also lies in the trapper""s ability to override any perceived or apparent danger by appealing to the animal""s most basic instinct for survival, to gather and eat food. To this end, the modern trap can and should be made to look and feel like a feeding station. This effect is enhanced by sprinkling loose bait about the trap to make it appear to the animal that it is not the first of its kind to venture near the device and be successful in having a meal.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful animal trap and cage device which has a very unassuming appearance from the viewpoint of the animal. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a trap which is easy to construct and which can be operated with a minimal number of steps. It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a trap which can lure a wide variety of small animals into it by varying its size and the lure. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a device which can quickly and efficiently trap an animal and keep the animal held within the trap for transportation purposes well after the animal is trapped inside. It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a device which enables the animal to survive within the device for a substantial period of time pending the relocation and release of the animal by providing it with a food and water supply and by providing means for protecting the animal from the elements. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a safe and secure means for transferring the trapped animal from the device to a secondary holding device, which secondary holding device includes a number of compartments for holding a number of animals within it. It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a device and secondary holding device which effectively protects the trapper from retaliation on the part of the trapped animal by biting or scratching the trapper, or even by sticking the trapper with quills. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a device that allows for a covering for the device which protects the trapper from retaliation on the part of a trapped skunk that might be inclined to spray the trapper.
The present invention has obtained these objects. It provides for a live trap and cage assembly having a base, opposing sidewalls and a central main support section. To either end of the sidewalls is a door. Each door is movable from a lower position which effectively seals the interior of the assembly from the outside and an upper position in which the assembly is completely accessible to the outside. The doors are configured so as to be quickly moveable from the upper position to the lower position upon the triggering of an event inside the assembly. The base of the assembly includes a bait reservoir or xe2x80x9cbillboardxe2x80x9d which is situated to the exterior of the assembly, and a bait holder and release mechanism which is situated to the interior of the assembly. The bait holder is suspended within the interior of the assembly by a cable which extends downwardly from the central support of the assembly. The cable is attached to each of the opposing doors and allows full movement of each door from the upper position to the lower position. The bottommost portion of the bait holder is slidably attachable to a xe2x80x9ctriggerxe2x80x9d bracket which allows the bait holder to be movable from one position to another. The assembly, in a preferred embodiment, is constructed such that the base and each of the opposing sidewalls are constructed such that the base and each of the opposing sidewalls are configured from a wire mesh or mesh-like material, which mesh is relatively innocuous from the view of the animal. Upon movement of the bait holder within the assembly by a lateral force applied to the bait holder by the animal, the bait holder slides out of the trigger bracket. An opening defined within the trigger bracket effectively releases the bait holder and the cable which is under tension due to the weight of each of the doors pulling on it, thereby instantaneously moving the opposing doors from the upper position to the lower position and trapping the animal within the assembly. During this rapid downward movement of the doors, the animal""s reaction time is substantially diminished due to its preoccupation with the bait contained on the bait holder. Each of the opposing doors includes a horizontal portion which may also include a removable panel for providing either a clear or opaque panel for protecting the animal, once trapped, from rain and snow or from a hot sun, respectively. In the preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention, a mechanism is also provided for ensuring that the doors cannot be forced open, even slightly, so as to allow the trapped animal a means for escape. In the preferred embodiment, a secondary access door is provided which allows the device to be joined to a seconday holding device whereby the animal can exit the device through the secondary access door and enter the secondary holding device. The secondary holding device incorporates a plurality of compartments such that a number of captured animals can be held within it. Once trapped or caged, the animal can be transported from its trap site to a new location in a fashion which is safe for the animal and for the trapper alike. A covering for the device may also be provided to allow for additional protection of the user when a skunk wanders into and is trapped by the device. The foregoing and other features of the device of the present invention will be further apparent from the detailed description which follows.